


Eleven Years Gone

by Elover05



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Jack Morrison is Jesse McCree's parent, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, M/M, Panic Attacks, Papa Reyes, Reaper | Gabriel Reyes is Jesse McCree's Parent, This is my fic and I can do what I want with it, dad jack morrison, is this considered found family?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24809341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elover05/pseuds/Elover05
Summary: Eleven years ago, Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison lost their son.Finally, they find him again. Or rather, he finds them.
Relationships: Jesse McCree & Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Jesse McCree & Reaper | Gabriel Reyes & Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Jesse McCree & Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Jesse McCree/Sombra | Olivia Colomar, Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison
Comments: 14
Kudos: 131





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this story for so long, and I'm super excited to share it with you!!!!!!!! I just love these characters so much.... <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for panic attacks in this chapter!

Gabriel Reyes’ and Jack Morrison’s world got turned upside-down with two phone calls.

The first call came at exactly 5:54 P.M. on a wednesday. The first time it rang, Gabriel ignored it. It was date night with Jack. Nothing should interrupt that. 

He didn’t pick it up the second time either.

But then it rang a third time, and his anxiety began to rear its head.  _ Why would anyone be calling him three times in a row? _

So he excused himself from the dinner table with a chaste kiss to his husbands lips, and a promise of ‘I’ll be back in a moment.’ Jack smiled, always so understanding. Gabriel grinned, grateful that life had blessed him with someone so amazing.

A shrill ringing cut off his thoughts, and, with his smile quickly morphing into a scowl, he answered the phone.  “Look, I’m on a date, so whatever you want, make it quick,” He snapped, leaning against the wall.

The ragged breathing on the other line quickly made him stiffen. “Hello?” He asked, his voice losing it’s anger.

“Gabe… Gabriel, please tell me you picked him up.” A voice Gabriel recognised as Ana’s begged.

His brow furrowed. Ana sounded distressed, which was something he had never heard before. “Picked who up?”

There was a hitch of her breath over the line. “Jesse. Please, the daycare, it… it was attacked. No one-- no one knows where he is. Please, please tell me he’s with you,” She said, almost hysterical at this point.

All the breath left Gabriel’s lungs. Jack must’ve noticed something was wrong, because he was at his side in an instant. “Gabi? What’s wrong?”

Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a strangled whimper.

Jack picked up the phone. “What’s wrong?” He asked again, this time to Ana. Within seconds, his calm demeanor was gone. “What do you mean attacked?” He asked, voice quiet and scared.

There was a second filled with silence, before Jack dropped the phone, hands trembling. “No…” He whispered, horror written across every crevice of his face.

Faintly, Gabriel could hear Ana sobbing on the other line. His legs gave out all at once, and he was on his knees before he could register what was happening.

_ Jesse. His baby boy. Gone. Missing. _

Bile filled his mouth, and that was the only warning he got before he was vomiting the dinner he had been eating just minutes ago.

The dinner he had been eating while Jesse was missing.

_ No... _

Gabriel heaved until he had nothing left in his stomach to expel, and then the heaving turned into shudders.

His chest felt like it was on fire, but whether that was from throwing up or the panic, he did not know.

What he did know was that his beautiful baby boy was missing.

Jack’s hands laid on his back, although Gabriel wasn’t sure when he had put them there. Vaguely, he registered talking, but it was all muffled. Everything felt blurred, like he was disconnected from reality,

Like a part of him was gone.

He tried to tune into the world, to comprehend anything other than his happy, lovely son being missing, but it was a useless effort. 

Slowly, what little that was left of the world became fuzzy, like he was underwater. It was disorienting, giving him a headache. So, Gabriel closed his eyes, and let himself collapse.

Soon after, the world turned black.

* * *

The second phone call came three days later, when Jack and Gabriel were looking through every security camera they could find, searching for any trace of their lost son.

This time, they didn’t ignore the call. A call meant news. News about their baby boy. The phone was on speaker before the first ring had even ended.

Before they could ask if whoever was calling then had found something, an unrecognisable voice asked, “Is this Jack Morrison or Gabriel Reyes? I do believe I found the right phone number, but one can never be too sure about these things.” The speaker sounded far to lax for Gabriel’s tastes. 

“Yes. Who is this? Do you have news on Jesse?” Jack asked, when Gabriel couldn’t muster the strength to speak. Usually, Gabriel was the one to take charge when they were put in tough situations, but he couldn’t right now. Not when he was too busy worrying over his little boy.

“Ah, excellent. Who I am is not important. What’s important is your precious boy, yes?”

Something about the tone this man was using tipped Gabriel off the edge. It was so… condescending. Like he knew something no one else did, and the knowledge had gone to his head. “Tell us what you have to say, or leave us alone!” He snapped, hands curled into fists that itched to punch whoever had taken Jesse.

“Tsk, tsk. Is that any way to talk to the person who holds your son’s life in his hands?”

The effect of the man’s words were instant. Jack tensed, a little gasp falling from his mouth, while Gabriel’s whole body shifted, until he looked like he was preparing for a fight.

Before they could start spewing out threats, demanding their son to be returned unharmed, the man continued. “I have to admit, the thought of you desperately trying to find this little cutie has been amusing. A fun game, of sorts. But all games must eventually come to an end. And I’m afraid that it’s time to put a stop to this.”

“No… please, no! Please don’t hurt him!” Jack begged, tears in his eyes. “Take me instead. Please.” The pure desperation in his voice caused the fractured remains of Gabriel’s heart to crumble into dust.

The voice had the audacity to laugh. “Oh, don’t be worried about that! I would never hurt an innocent. Unlike you. Don’t worry, your child will be safe and sound. It’s just too bad that you’re never going to see him again.”

Gabriel felt his heart plummet. “If you harm a single hair on his head--”

“Oh for the love of… really? Did you not listen to what I just said? Relax, he’s going to be fine! Honestly, without the two of you corrupting him, he’ll be better off.” There was a laugh on the other side of the line, but Gabriel could detect no humor in it. 

His mind was too busy trying to figure out what that meant. 

“Please…” Jack whimpered, looking eyes glistening with unshed tears, lips trembling. “We just want our baby back. Please…” His voice, normally so loud and confident, had been reduced to a whisper.

“Tough luck for you, then. Well, while it’s been awfully fun chatting with you, I’m afraid that it’s time for me to go.” And with that, the call ended.

There was a moment, a moment filled with horror and broken hope, before Gabriel rasped, “Athena? Can you trace the call?”

“Already on it, Commander.”

A little spark of hope ignited in his chest. Maybe they had a chance to get Jesse back. Maybe they had a chance to fix this mess.

He looked into Jack’s eyes. “We’re going to bring him home. I promise.”

* * *

They didn’t bring him home.

When they arrived at the house, secluded in the middle of nowhere, they found the man they had been speaking with, dead from a gunshot. It was self-inflicted.

He had a picture clutched in his hand, one of a lady that Gabriel vaguely recognised as one of the civilian casualties from a recent mission.

Jesse was nowhere in sight.

The pieces clicked into place. This man, this  _ monster _ , had taken Jesse as some sort of twisted revenge. Revenge for a loved one. 

Gabriel wanted to scream, wanted to cry and fight and let his emotions out. But he couldn’t. He didn’t have time.

Every second Jesse wasn’t in his arms was a second that Jesse could get hurt. A second that Jesse was in danger, danger that Gabriel couldn’t protect him from. 

Danger that Gabriel had  _ failed  _ to protect him from.

So all that rage and pain and hatred that was coursing through Gabriel’s veins was put towards the search for his boy.

Days past, and then the days turned into weeks, which turned into months, which turned into years.

Two years after he had gone missing, the search for him was officially discontinued. Jesse Reyes-Morrison was officially dead.

And with that, Gabriel felt that last few shards of hope that he had been clinging to shatter. He felt a part of his heart die. Because he had lost his baby. And Jesse was never coming back.

Not for a while, at least.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deadlock raids an Overwatch facility. Things don't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter!!! Hope you do too! <3

_ 11 years later, in New Mexico: _

“Look, Ashe, I get the appeal here. Really, I do. But is this all worth it? We’ve got all we need to last at least ten years. Why go robbin’ an Overwatch facility? Are ya just lookin’ for trouble?”

Jesse McCree’s partner in crime simply grinned. “Aw, Jesse, you should know that I’m always lookin’ for trouble. Besides, there’s no harm in a little bit of illegal fun.”

Jesse sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose to alleviate the headache Ashe was causing him. “There’s a lot of harm. What if we get caught?” Jesse always had been the more reasonable one. He had to be. It was the reason Deadlock flourished.

While Ashe could create chaos strong enough to bring down a country, Jesse was precise. Strategic. As logical as someone of his standing could be.

And this plan simply was not logical.

Even if they managed to get past the security-- and that was a big ‘if’-- what would they do when they gained the attention of the most renowned military organization in the world?

Ashe put her hand on her chest, gasping as if she had been shot. “Oh, Jesse. You wound me! You thinkin’ anyone could catch us, now that’s the real crime.” Seeing that Jesse didn’t smile, she sighed. “Well, if you’re so worried about it, why not get your super secret hacker girlfriend to get through security for us? And maybe invite her to the gang, while you’re at it. Really, we could use a hacker.”

Frantically, Jesse looked around their trailer park, praying that there was no one around to hear them. When he saw that there wasn’t anyone near, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Sombra was his best kept secret, and he wanted it to stay that way.

If people knew about the two of them… It’d be trouble. Big trouble.

He hadn’t even wanted Ashe to know. If she knew, she’d… well, she’d shoot him, most likely.

He’d probably already told her too much, letting it slip that he had a hacker girlfriend. All she had to do was put the pieces together. To figure out that Los Muertos’ new member was a hacker less than a year younger than him. That they lived less than ten miles away from each other, just across the border.

Thankfully, she hadn’t figured it out. At least, she hadn’t yet.

A Deadlock member dating the Los Muertos prodigy? That was unheard of. And for good reason. They were rival gangs, bitter enemies who tried to kill each other at every turn.

It was almost poetic. ‘We’re like Romeo and Juliet’ Sombra would always tease. Jesse would roll his eyes, and tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. ‘But hopefully without the tragic ending,’ he would respond.

It was a foolish hope. Jesse couldn’t imagine a future in this world where they were allowed to have a life together. They were too deep in their respective gangs. 

But he would savor the time he could spend with her.

“I told you, I’m keepin’ her as far away from this as possible,” Jesse snapped, scowling.

Ashe held up her hands in a sign of surrender. “Alright, alright. I’ll leave it be.” Somehow, Jesse doubted that. Ashe wasn’t known for letting things be. Ashe was known for getting her way, no matter what.

Jesse really hoped that wouldn’t be the case here. 

“Look, even if you don’t get yourself caught, what’s the point of putting ourselves in danger for somethin’ that we really don’t need?”

“The point is that it’s fun! Plus, don’t tell me that robbin’ Overwatch isn’t on your bucket list?”

Jesse sighed. He never quite understood Ashe’s hatred for Overwatch. When he asked, she said something about how they were ‘rich farts who only care about their shiny medals’. And that was fair. But that didn’t mean they deserved to be robbed.

(There was a tiny, biased part of him that still held on to his love for Overwatch. It started when he was young, when he had made up some fantasy about Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes being his fathers. 

He could still remember pointing at the screen as they announced that Overwatch was here to stay. He could still remember shouting ‘That’s my Daddy and my Papi!’, while the other kids laughed at the poor boy who didn’t understand that his parents didn’t want him.

He wasn’t sure where that fantasy had come from, but it helped him for the first few years of his stay in the overcrowded, understaffed orphanage he’d been left at when he was four.)

“I’m not goin’ to be able to stop you from doing this, huh?” Jesse asked, trying to shove the memories of his past out of his mind. None of that mattered now.

Ashe grinned. “Nope. You know me so well, McCree.”

“Fine,” Jesse relented. “Let me get ready.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You’re comin’? I thought you didn’t want to do this?”

“I don’t, but someone’s gotta keep you out of trouble. And I’m the only one who seems to be able to do that.”

Ashe scoffed. “You think you’re gonna keep me out of trouble? That’s cute.”

Shrugging, Jesse began to walk away, going to his trailer so he could prepare. “Well, a man can dream, can’t he?”

* * *

_ Tick. Tick. Tick. _

This was just his luck.

Why, why,  _ why _ had this happened? Was this some sort of twisted karma? Was it just an unfortunate coincidence?

Really, what were the odds that Overwatch would be doing an unscheduled check of this base, the day that Deadlock decides to break in?

The odds were good, apparently. As that’s exactly what happened.

_ Tick. Tick. Tick. _

So here Jesse sat, in some sort of holding cell. It was damp and dark and bleak, with a clock ticking somewhere behind him.

He could barely remember what even happened. But he supposed getting the butt of a shotgun slammed into the back of your head by none other than Gabriel Reyes would do that to you. 

He faintly recalled getting through security, somehow, and then… Gabriel Reyes was just… Standing there. Staring at them with a look that was almost comically surprised.

Then the fighting started.

Reyes had taken them all out far too easily. 

The last thing Jesse could remember was Gabriel Reyes standing over him. “Ah, I knew I should’ve stayed home,” He had muttered. Reyes almost seemed to be amused by that, before everything went black.

_ Tick. Tick. Tick. _

And now here he was, alone, afraid, and, above all, annoyed. Mostly annoyed at that stupid clock for continuing to tick!

If he had just pushed against Ashe a little harder, had convinced her that this was a bad idea, none of this would be happening. He wouldn’t be in trouble. Deadlock would be fine.

But he failed.

_ Tick. Tick. Tick. _

Jesse hoped Sombra would be okay, when they sent him off to some high-security prison. She would lose her primary source of intel from Deadlock. She wouldn’t have an in with them anymore.

He hoped they would leave her alone.

_ Tick. Tick. Tick. _

He hoped Ashe got out. Because while Jesse was better with a gun, Ashe was crafty, good at getting out of tough spots.

He hoped that she wouldn’t do something stupid, like try and break him out of here.

_ Tick. Tick. Tick. _

He hoped… he hoped for so much.

He hoped for a life with a family, with parents that loved him.

He hoped for a life with Sombra where they could grow old together, without having to worry about gangs and guns and violence.

He hoped for a life where things were different.

(He hoped for a life where that clock would shut up)

_ Tick. Tick. Tick. _

Thinking like that was foolish, was sentimental. It was the kind of thing that got people killed.

But, well, he was here alone with his mind and the ticking of a clock. Might as well let his last moments spent out of a prison be filled with happy thoughts. Thoughts of love and peace and other things he’d never had. Other things he never would have again.

So he closed his eyes and willed himself to fall asleep, hoping for dreams about Sombra and their future, one where they were happy. 

_ Tick. Tick. Tick. _

He let the irritating tick of the clock lull him into a fitful sleep.

Hopefully, he would be able to savor it.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel doesn't like that there's a kid in a holding cell.

“A kid, Jackie. He’s just a kid! Can’t be older than seventeen, if that,” Gabriel ranted to his husband. “I didn’t realise that Deadlock was recruiting babies, now! But he’s… He’s so young.” 

The one person they managed to nab from Deadlock just had to be a kid. A kid with a patchy goatee and an actual cowboy hat. A kid who was far too young to be mixed up in gangs and guns and violence. 

Jack made a sympathetic noise, his eyebrows furrowed. “Poor boy,” he mumbled. “What are you going to do with him?”

Gabriel sighed, sitting down on the bed in their room, burying his face in his hands. “I don’t know.” His words were muffled, but clear enough for Jack to make them out. “I can’t send him to prison. It wouldn’t be right. But I can’t just let him go either. He was the best fighter there. He’s dangerous,”

“So is he the one who gave you that broken nose?” His husband asked, with amusement in his voice. 

Gabriel rolled his eyes, gently feeling along the still sore, but no longer throbbing nose. “Yeah,” He admitted. “I just wish he wasn’t trained enough to have the ability to give a super soldier a broken nose.”

A warm hand began rubbing his back in soothing circles. Gabriel leaned into the touch, craving the comfort. He didn’t know what to do. And if there was one thing he hated, it was not knowing what to do.

And… there was something else bugging him. He couldn’t figure out what it was, but it was nagging at his brain. Like something important was staring him in the face, but he just couldn’t see it.

It was unnerving. So he ignored it.

Whatever it was, he would figure it out sooner or later. Right now, there were bigger things to worry about.

Case in point: The child who was stuck in a holding cell for running with the most notorious gangs in the United States.

“Maybe we should go talk to him. See if we can convince him to cooperate. If he listens to us, it’ll be a whole lot easier to help him,” Jack suggested. Gabriel had a strong feeling that getting this kid to cooperate wouldn’t be that easy, but it was worth a shot.

“Alright. Are you staying here?”

“What, and let you have all the fun by yourself? No way. I want to meet the kid who broke your nose,” Jack said, smirking.

Gabriel shoved his shoulder, trying to hide his laughter. “Shut up.”

* * *

Jack was frowning hard, staring at the sleeping kid in their holding cell. “I know you said he was young but… He’s practically a baby,” he said, and although he didn’t verbalize it, Gabriel could tell what he was thinking.

‘Jesse would be right around his age.’

In all honesty, that was the thing Gabriel had been thinking since the first time he laid eyes on this kid.

Gabriel couldn’t bear to think about Jesse, though. It hurt too much, to remember that their baby boy had to grow up without them. For all they knew, Jesse could be dead.

Just the idea of that made Gabriel want to throw up.

He was pulled out of the spiral of sadness by Jack slipping his hand in his. “Hey, it’s all right.” He assured him, speaking gently. Gabriel held on tight, trying to get a hold of himself.

Jack had always been his rock, the one he leaned upon when he could no longer stand. And right now was no exception. Gabriel let their interlocked fingers ground him, bringing him back from the horrors of his mind.

“You wanna do ‘Good Cop, Bad Cop?’” Jack asked, a small smile on his lips.

Gabriel groaned. “I don’t want to be ‘Bad Cop’ on a baby!” He complained, looking over at Jack to make sure his husband could see the exaggerated pout on his lips.

Jack giggled a bit. “Well I can’t be ‘Bad Cop’. I have a reputation!”

Once again, Gabriel let out a groan. “Fine,” He conceded. “But you’re gonna have to make this up to me.”

“I’ll buy you a few weeks' supply of that expensive coffee that Ana’s forbidden you from buying because you spend too much money on it.”

Gabriel perked up. “You’re forgiven!” He said before Jack had even finished the sentence.

Jack laughed, fondness painted on his face as he gazed at his husband. “You’re too easy to bribe, Gabi.” Rolling his eyes, Gabriel pretended to scowl. “Oh, don’t be like that. Everyone has flaws!”

“I’m telling Ana that you think she has flaws,” Gabriel threatened, his tone dripping with playfulness.

Jack’s face paled several shades. “You wouldn’t dare!” He gasped, clutching his chest dramatically. “I’ll fire you!”

Gabriel tried to hide the way he snorted in laughter, but he had a feeling that his attempt at being subtle failed. “Like the U.N. would ever let you fire such a valuable asset! Face it, White Bread, I’m the best member of Overwatch.”

“I’m telling Ana you think she’s not the best member of Overwatch.”

“I’m the second best member of Overwatch,” Gabriel quickly amended, not wanting to be on the other side of Ana Amari’s rage. The last time she had been angry at him, she had let a skunk into his office. That was not an experience he wanted a repeat of.

“You two are adorable.”

If asked, both Jack and Gabriel would vehemently deny the high-pitched shrieks they let out at Ana’s words.

If asked, Ana would happily tell you all about how they sounded like dying hyenas.

“H… How long have you, uh, been standing there?” Jack asked, once his panicked breathing had calmed.

Ana chuckled. “Long enough to hear the two of you arguing like little kids.”

Jack and Gabriel blushed, decidedly not looking Ana in the eyes.

Luckily, she didn’t leave them to wallow in their misery for very long. “How old is the child?” She asked, frowning as she took in the sleeping kid through the window.

“We’re not sure. We can’t find anything on him. We don’t even know his name,” Gabriel said, brows furrowed. “We’re hoping he’ll give us some more information when we question him, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

Ana hummed, turning to face them. “Go easy on him.”

Jack nodded. “Of course,” He agreed. “I don’t know what we’ll do if he doesn’t tell us anything, though.”

“Well, there’s no way to know unless you go in and ask him. I’ll stay out here and watch. After all, someone has to make sure the two of you don’t do anything stupid.”

Gabriel and Jack both stuck out their tongues at her in unison, before walking towards the entrance to the interrogation room.

The kid woke up the minute they opened the door. Instantly, he went from peaceful to terrified, wide brown eyes darting around the room. His posture was stiff, and he looked two seconds away from a full blown panic attack.

He was too young to be this scared, Gabriel thought.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jack assured him, using his softest voice to soothe the scared teen. “We’re here to help you.”

After a few seconds, the child seemed to calm a little. His breathing was no longer rapid, and his eyes were focused on the two of them. 

Gabriel swallowed the strong, parental instinct that told him to wrap this poor kid in a blanket and make sure no harm ever comes to him. Instead, he said “We’ve got a few questions.”

The kid clenched his jaw, leaning back in his chair. That was a clear sign of this kid not being cooperative.

_ Great. Wonderful. Fantastic. _

“What’s your name?” Gabriel asked, trying to find the right balance between being harsh and gentle.

The kid licked his lips.

“How long have you been a criminal?”

The kid blinked.

“Why are you running with Deadlock?”

The kid shrugged.

Gabriel sighed. Jack cut in before he could ask anymore questions. “Look, son, we want to help you, but we can’t do that unless you let us.”

The kid blushed. “With all due respect, I ain’t your son, sir.”

That was… surprisingly polite. Gabriel’s urge to protect this kid grew. Something about him was just so familiar. Gabriel saw a bit of himself in him. The way this kid clearly had been dealt a crappy hand in life, the way he was stubborn and uncooperative, the way he seemed to want to do good, but wasn’t quite sure how.

Gabriel was probably just projecting, though.

“No, you’re not our son. But we still want to help you,” Jack amended, sincerity in his tone.

The kid’s jaw twitched. “Has it occurred to ya’ll that I don’t want help?” He spat, puffing his chest out and raising his chin high. 

Either he was trying to intimidate them, or he was trying to hide his fear. Gabriel would put his money on the latter, givin the way he was slightly trembling, hands clenching and unclenching rapidly.

“It doesn’t matter that you don’t want help. It matters that you need it,” Gabriel said, straining to keep his voice firm instead of gentle.

The kid scowled. “I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree on that.”

Jack, ever the mediator, swooped in just as Gabriel was about to object. “I don’t want you to go to prison, kid. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you,” He said, “Running with gangs isn’t the way to spend your childhood.” He reached out to put a hand on the kids shoulder, but the kid violently flinched away.

He looked like he expected them to hit him.

_ Who hurt this kid? _

Jack quickly retracted his hand, and Gabriel could see the struggle he was having trying to keep himself calm. He didn’t want to scare the kid anymore, but there was anger in his eyes. 

No kid should be so used to violence that their first reaction to someone trying to touch them is fear.

“Kid, let us help you.” Jack was almost begging at this point.

But the kid just clenched his jaw (Gabriel was beginning to recognise this as a nervous habit) and looked away.

Realizing that they were accomplishing nothing but scaring the poor kid, Gabriel took his husband’s hand, and guided him out of the room.

They were going to have to find another way to help this kid.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ana tries her hand at talking to Jesse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just.... love ana.... so much.....  
> Also trigger warning for a panic attack in this chapter!

Jesse was thankful that Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison had finally left him alone.

Really, he was.

It wasn’t like them showing him kindness gave him just a tiny bit of hope. It wasn’t like he almost believed that they were sincere in their caring. It wasn’t like he thought that maybe, just maybe, they actually could help him.

It wasn’t like that. Jesse wasn’t so naive as to believe that these two strangers, these two war heroes, could care about a criminal like him. It just wasn’t realistic.

So he tried to dispel the notion that maybe he should have listened to them. Maybe he should have told him what they wanted to know.

_ ‘Are ya crazy? I leave ya for one day, and you’re already thinkin’ about betrayin’ Deadlock?’  _ Ashe screamed in his mind, enraged at him for even considering it.

Jesse sighed, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to block out his thoughts. It didn’t matter now. None of that mattered now. He was being sent off to some supermax prison, and he’d never see the light of day again.

His face began to heat up.

He didn’t want this! He didn’t want to be sent off to some prison he’d never escape from! He didn’t want to spend his life locked up!

He didn’t want any of this!

But life was cruel. Life never cared about what he wanted. Life didn’t care that he just wanted a family.

Life only cared about making people miserable.

Jesse wanted to scream, wanted to hit something. He was angry! So angry that he felt like he couldn’t breathe! It was overwhelming, all consuming.

There was a small  _ splat _ and he looked down to see a small pool of water on the metal table. 

Suddenly, he realised that he was crying. That silent sobs were shaking his shoulders. He was always a quiet crier. He couldn’t afford to let other people know when his emotions overtook him. Showing emotions meant being weak, and Jesse McCree couldn’t afford to be weak.

He wanted to wipe the tears away, to scrub at his eyes until he wasn’t crying, but his hands were bound behind him, and that just made him sob harder.

Jesse was trapped, he couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe! His chest was tight, his head dizzy and it hurt, it hurt so much! He just wanted to go home!

He didn’t have a home.

The sobs that tore themselves from his throat became louder, until it was all he could hear. All he could think about.

He didn’t want this! He just wanted out!

He never wanted this! He never wanted to form Deadlock! He never wanted to be a criminal!

He never got what he wanted. And he was sick of it!

He was sick of pretending that he was okay.

His emotions were swirling into a tangled mess, and it was impossible to tell exactly what he was feeling. Maybe he was angry or sad or lonely, or maybe he was a mix of the three.

But beneath it all, beneath the storm stewing inside of him, there was a deep feeling of resignation. Of defeat.

Any chance he had of forming a family, whether that be with Deadlock or Sombra, was almost completely diminished by this point.

Somewhere in the depth of his mind, he realised that he was holding his breath. Jesse immediately tried to suck in a deep breath, but instead started hyperventilating, choking on his cries so much that he couldn’t get any air. His lungs burned and his vision turned fuzzy and his ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton. 

His eyes fluttered, and he realised he was going to pass out a few seconds before it happened, but he was too panicked to do anything to prevent it. Instead, he let the darkness run over him like a balm, soothing his hurt lungs and racing mind.

* * *

When Jesse woke up, the first thing he noticed was that he wasn’t alone.

Sitting across from his was a woman, silently knitting with a steaming cup of tea on the table in front of her.

The second thing he noticed was a feeling similar to a hangover. He was tired and nauseous, a headache pounding at his head.

He groaned, closing his eyes to try and relieve the pain he felt.

“You’re awake,” The woman observed. If he wasn’t in the middle of trying to curl into himself, he probably would have made some remark about her observational skills.

As it was, he only groaned again.

“I’ve got some questions for you,” She continued.

It was then that Jesse began to recognise her.  _ Was that… Ana Amari? The second in command of Overwatch? _

First Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison come and interrogate him, and now Ana  _ freaking  _ Amari is here? What on Earth did he do to warrant this kind of attention?

“Ask away, Ma’am,” He said, words slurring slightly.

“Well, first things first. Is it true that you broke Reyes’ nose?” 

Jesse’s mind reeled to a halt. That was not the kind of question he had expected. “Huh?” He asked, brows furrowing as he tried to remember if he did.

“Gabriel came back with a broken nose and a wannabe cowboy. So, did you break his nose, Wannabe Cowboy?” She elaborated, not even looking up from her knitting. 

Jesse felt his face heat up at the nickname, but didn’t say anything about it. He wasn’t going to risk upsetting Ana  _ freaking _ Amari. “I… uh…” He stammered.

Finally, her eyes left her knitting and met his. “You’re not in trouble. I just want to make sure that I tease Gabe for the rest of his life if a kid managed to break his nose.”

“I, um, I’m not… sure. I don’t really, uh, remember… much of what happened. I think, uh, I think I got a concussion. Sorry.”

Ana  _ freaking _ Amari sighed. “Oh, well. I suppose I’ll just have to dig through the security footage.” She resumed her knitting. “But, between the two of us, I really hope it was you.”

Jesse nodded dumbly, wondering if this was some concussion-induced dream.

Ana  _ freaking _ Amari laughed, but it was good-natured. “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Ana.”

“I know,” He blurted. She raised an eyebrow, looking amused. “Well, I mean… y’know, it’s just that... you’re… uh… well known.” By the time he had finished speaking, his face was twisted in a grimace. He hated it when he rambled.

But Ana  _ freaking _ Amari didn’t seem to mind. If fact, she chuckled, looking at him with something akin to  _ fondness. _

“My reputation precedes me, I see.”

Jesse, who at this point was convinced he was high off some hallucinatory drug and that this whole encounter was simply a figment of his imagination, just shrugged. “A bit, yeah.”

Ana  _ freaking  _ Amari smiled, before going back to her knitting.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Jesse finding that he enjoyed the silent company. She had a soothing presence, one that helped him stay calm, despite the fact that he was captured, no doubt facing life in jail.

“What’re ya makin’?” He asked after a few more seconds, observing the way her hands deftly worked.

“It’s a scarf. Fareeha, my daughter, gets cold here sometimes. I wanted to make her something to warm her up.”

Jesse felt a flash of jealousy, despite it being irrational.

After all, all he’d ever really wanted was the kind of parent who made scarves for him in the winter, who worried about him getting cold, and made sure that he was comfortable. Why did other people get that kind of parent, when he was stuck being alone?

Jesse shoved the jealousy to the back of his mind. It wouldn’t change anything if he dwelled on it. The best thing he could do, the only thing he could do, was move on.

If only his heart would get the message, instead of wallowing in pity.

Seemingly oblivious to the surge of negative emotions, Ana  _ freaking  _ Amari continued. “Gabe was actually the one to teach me how to knit. But don’t let him know I told you that. He doesn’t want people to know that he’s actually a softie.”

If Jesse wasn’t convinced that he was hallucinating before, he was absolutely sure now.

He thought of the countless interviews he saw of Gabriel Reyes, the tough, no-nonsense former leader of Overwatch. ‘Softie’ is by no means a word he would ever associate with him.

But, then again, he wouldn’t have thought of Ana  _ freaking  _ Amari as the type of person who keeps prisoners company and knits scarves for her daughter.

Granted, none of that mattered, because this was all a hallucination. This  _ had _ to be a hallucination.

But Jesse never thought hallucinations would be so vivid, so lifelike.

“Are you… Uh, y’know… real?” Jesse asked, refusing to look her in the eyes as he spoke. It was a stupid question, after all, and he did have some shame.

Ana  _ freaking _ Amari laughed. “Well, I certainly hope so.”

“That’s not a real answer,” Jesse grumbled.

“You’re adorable when you pout,” Ana  _ freaking _ Amari said in lieu of an actually useful response. Jesse sank into his chair with an annoyed huff. “There you go, proving my point.”

He rolled his eyes. Jesse McCree did not  _ pout. _

“You know, I never caught your name,” Ana  _ freaking  _ Amari said, a small smile still playing on her lips.

If he were smarter, Jesse probably wouldn’t have given it to her. But, at that exact moment, he didn’t care. “I’m Jesse. Jesse McCree, Ma’am.”

Her hands paused their knitting for only a moment, so quickly that Jesse might have missed it if he wasn’t staring directly at them, still too afraid to meet her eyes. After all, it was  _ Ana  _ Freaking  _ Amari. _

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Jesse McCree. And, please, call me Ana. ‘Ma’am’ makes me sound old,” She said. There was a kind smile on her face. Before Jesse could fumble his way through a response, she was speaking again. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I’ve got some questions to ask you.”

Jesse took a deep breath. This was all starting to make sense. He wasn’t hallucinating. Here was the moment she was going to demand answers, try and get him to betray his gang, to betray the closest thing he’d ever had to a family. “I ain’t betrayin’ Deadlock,” He announced, chin held high.

Ana sighed. “I’m well aware. That’s not what I’m asking.”

Jesse paused. “Well, then, what are ya askin’?” He said.

“Mostly, I want to know about you.”

That was… not what he was expecting. “There’s really not much to tell, uh, Ana.” It was extraordinarily weird, referring to her by first name, but it was what she had asked of him. And right now, he wasn’t too keen on disobeying her.

Disobeying the people in power was never a smart idea, unless you had a way to ensure your safety.

“How old are you?”

“15, give or take.”

“You don’t know exactly?” Normally, such a question would have had Jesse defensive, but she didn’t seem to be making fun of him.

“Not many orphans do.”

“You don’t have a family?” She asked, her voice tender.

“I got Deadlock.” That wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear, if her frown was anything to go by. “I ain’t got no one else, though.” Her frown deepened.

It wasn’t exactly pity on her face, but it was close enough that Jesse felt himself become defensive. He didn’t need people feeling bad for him. He was fine as he was.

“No foster parents? A group home?” Ana prodded, and Jesse couldn’t help but wonder what the point of this was. Maybe she was trying to earn his trust, just so she could betray him when she needed it. That seemed most likely.

_ Or maybe, maybe she really just wants to help you. _

Jesse shut that thought down as quickly as it had arisen. Being that optimistic was foolish. It got people killed.

“Nah, nothin’ like that. Group homes don’t exactly have space for people my age. They kick us out by the time we’re fifteen.”

Ana sighed. “They don’t have enough room?” Jesse laughed, though the only emotion behind it was bitterness.

She clearly knew the answer, but Jesse humored her anyway. “The world’s recoverin’ from the worst war in history. There’s plenty of orphans, not much room for them.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Normally, Jesse would have scoffed at that. Because, really, what good did that do? Was he supposed to feel better because people felt sorry for him?

However, her tone wasn’t condescending or pitying. Instead, it was warm. Her words felt more like an invitation to share than like an apology.

“Nothin’ anyone can do about it.”

“I suppose you’re right. Still, that isn’t something you should have gone through.” Her tone was so sincere that Jesse couldn’t help but believe that she was being honest. 

There were a few moments of silence, before Ana spoke again. “Have you… Have you been an orphan your whole life?” She sounded hesitant, and Jesse supposed that was expected with such a personal question.

“Since I was four. Don’t remember anything before then, but that’s when I was dropped off.”

“And you don’t know anything about your family before that?”

_ (Memories of a blonde man with large, gentle hands. Thoughts of a man with warm brown eyes and kind smiles. Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes on the T.V.  _

_ “That’s my Papi and my Daddy! Are they gonna come for me and take me home?” _

_ “No one’s coming for you. You’re an orphan. And that hope you got? It’s gonna get you killed.”) _

“It’s like I said. I don’t remember anything before the orphanage,” Jesse told her.

And, really, he wasn’t lying. Morrison and Reyes weren’t his parents. That was just fantasy from a scared kid who didn’t understand that he was alone.

Ana hummed, clearly dissatisfied. Before she could pry further, her watch dinged. She glanced down at it, before sighing. “I’m afraid that I’ll have to be going now,” She said, standing up as she spoke. Jesse felt his heart sink. 

He didn’t want her to leave. It had been nice, having company. Someone to distract him from whatever was coming next.

“I’ll have someone bring you some food. You must be starving.” She opened the door, before sending one last look back at Jesse. “See you later, Jesse McCree.”

Jesse felt his mouth twitch into a smile. “See you later,” he parroted, before the door slammed shut behind Ana, leaving Jesse alone once more.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ana makes a discovery.

Ana was looking at him weird.

Gabriel had known her long enough that he could identify most of her expressions with a single glance. But there was something different in her gaze as she stared at him. 

The best guess he had as to what she was feeling was suspicion, but he couldn’t figure out  _ why _ she would be suspicious of him. Did he do something? Did she figure out that Jack bought him that expensive coffee she had forbidden him from having? Was he just reading her wrong?

She had been staring at him on and off since she came out of questioning the kid. Ana still hadn’t told them anything about what she had learned. He could tell that she had found out something big.

But she wasn’t telling him.

Gabriel wanted to confront her, but he also knew that it was best to let her work these things out on her own. So he was fine with letting Ana sort through this. She would come to him eventually. 

But then she started acting weird, too.

It started small. She was spending more time with the kid, who she still refused to talk about. Gabriel chalked it up to her parental instincts kicking in, but it still felt strange.

She was sneaking around. Gabriel had even caught her in his room, leafing through photo albums that he kept in a locked drawer.

“What are you doing?” He had asked, more confused than anything else. 

Ana had startled, dropping the photo she was holding. It fluttered to the ground until it landed face up.

Gabriel decidedly did not look at it. It was a picture of Jesse. He still wasn’t able to look at pictures of his baby without breaking down.

“I’m… looking for photos,” Ana said.

Gabriel laughed softly, sitting down next to her. “I can see that. But why?” He asked.

Ana only hesitated for a moment. “Fareeha wants to see her baby pictures. I thought you might have some of them.” Gabriel narrowed his eyes. She was lying, clearly, but he still couldn’t figure out why she was  _ actually _ here.

In the end, he let it go without much fuss. He had bigger things to worry about.

Still, it stuck in his subconscious. 

Mostly, though, he ignored it. At least, until the situation came to a head.

* * *

Ana had called this meeting minutes ago, saying that they needed to come ASAP. She was sitting in front of him and Jack, her foot bouncing and her fingers tapping. Her fidgets were so out of place that they caused Gabriel to do a double take. Something was clearly wrong, but he didn’t know  _ what. _

“You alright, Ana?” Jack asked, furrowing his brows as he took her in. “You look stressed.”

“You sure know how to charm a girl,” Ana deadpanned, but the playfulness that usually filled her tone during their banter was absent. 

Jack seemed to notice this too, concern lacing his features, but he still smiled. “Well, you know I’ve never been one for the ladies.” Gabriel couldn’t help but chuckle softly at that. “But seriously, Ana, is everything okay?”

“Yes,” She said, but still sounded too hesitant for that to be true. “This is just a little shocking.”

“What’s a little shocking?” Gabriel pressed, fingers tapping against the table. 

Ana took a few deep breaths, opened her mouth, then closed it. She repeated the process a few more times, and that did nothing to help Gabriel or Jack’s worrying.

Just as they were about to cut in, tell her that it’s okay, whatever it is she can tell them, she blurted, “I... think I found Jesse.”

Gabriel’s mind screeched to a halt. Now it was his turn to open and close his mouth like a fish on land. 

Jack had frozen next to him.

Seeming to realise that she needed to elaborate, Ana continued, “I… I’ve done everything I can think of. Compared him to his old pictures, run blood tests, had his fingerprints scanned, everything.”

Gabriel felt his eyes close.

“This… this could really be him. We found him.”

He couldn’t move his mouth. His tongue felt heavy, and his jaw couldn’t seem to decide between falling to the floor and clenching shut.

“Please say something,” Ana said, sounding scared and hopeful all at once.

Gabriel’s hand reached out blindly until it found Jack’s. He squeezed, and felt his husband squeeze back. His heart calmed slightly at the reminder that he was not alone, that Jack was right there with him. Holding him and loving him and supporting him. 

“You’re one-hundered percent sure about this?” Jack asked, voice raspy and quiet. Sounding so cautious. So scared. It shattered what was left of Gabriel’s already broken heart.

“Yes,” Ana said, her voice trembling. “We… we really found him.”

Gabriel felt his chest constrict. Felt his throat close up until he couldn’t breathe. 

_ Jesse. His baby boy. They had found him. _

He was shaking, unable to stop the flood of emotions that drowned him. Hope, loss, giddiness, suspicion, wonder. His eyes stayed shut. He was sure that if he opened them, he’d figure out that this was all a dream.

He couldn’t stand the thought of waking up to discover that none of this was real. It would break him.

“My baby is alive?” He asked after swallowing the lump in his throat. “He’s really alive?”

Footsteps approached him, before two arms wrapped tightly around him. “Yeah, Gabriel. Jesse’s alive. I promise,” Ana said soothingly, voice cracking as she hugged him.

Sobs began to work their way out of him, slowly at first, before the floodgates completely opened. His whole body shuttered and shook as the cries escaped him.

_ Jesse. Oh, Jesse. _

“Can we… meet him?” Jack asked, sounding as wrecked as Gabriel felt.

Ana sighed, and the sound made Gabriel prepare for the worst. “I think it would be best if I told you a little more, first.”

The idea of waiting even another second caused Gabriel’s chest to constrict painfully, but he knew that she was right. They needed to know more before they barged into his baby’s life.

“Tell us everything,” Jack said, clearly wanting to get through this as quickly as possible. Wanting to get to their son as soon as possible.

Ana smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. “He doesn’t know that he’s yours. He thinks… he thinks that he’s an orphan.”

A choked whimper escaped Gabriel, and he wrapped his arms tightly around himself, searching for any comfort that he could find. Next to him, Jack had buried his face in his hands, letting out quiet sniffles.

“And he… he hasn’t had a good life.”

Gabriel found himself glad that he had skipped breakfast today. If he hadn’t, he was sure that whatever he ate would have come back up.

All he had ever wanted was for his baby to have a good life. To grow up  _ happy _ . But with Ana’s words, and the way she was refusing to meet his eyes, he knew that wasn’t the case.

“Is he… okay? Is he hurt?”

“If I tell you, you have to promise not to beat yourself up over what happened. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Gabriel said, lying through his teeth.

He was a parent. His biggest responsibility was making sure that no harm came to his little boy. And he had  _ failed. _

The thought of his baby in pain, no matter how mild, was possibly the worst thing he had ever felt. “I mean it, Gabriel. What happened, it… it was no one’s fault. Just bad luck,” Ana insisted, and Gabriel could tell that she wouldn’t talk to him unless he accepted that.

“Just tell me! Please… I-- I need to know. He’s my baby. I’m going to blame myself no matter what.”

Ana rubbed the bridge of her nose, letting out a little sigh. “I know. But at least try. Try to remember that you couldn’t have known?”

“Known what?” Gabriel asked, hands curling into tight fists. 

“That kid, from the holding cell. The one who was running with Deadlock,” Ana began, looking down at the table.

“What does he have to do with this?” Jack asked, voice high-pitched and eyes wild.

He knew where this was going, and he didn’t like it.

Didn’t like the idea that their son, their baby boy, their happy, innocent kid, was running around with Deadlock. Was going on  _ missions _ that could get him hurt. Or  _ killed. _

“It’s him. That’s Jesse.”

The words were coated with a sense of finality. Hope and dread and happiness and anger swirled in his mind in a rapid storm.

Jack let out a sob next to him, loud and heartbroken and painful, and Gabriel couldn’t help but reach out to comfort him. Placing a hand on his back and rubbing in circles, despite the fact that Gabriel himself felt just as miserable. Gabriel was wanting to find comfort just as much as he wanted to give it.

They both leaned into the touch, using it to ground themselves. Because, at the very least, they had each other. 

That didn’t make up for what they had lost, but it was the only thing that kept them going when things got tough. When it was Jesse’s birthday, or when they were swarmed by nightmares of their baby dying, or when the world seemed so bleak that they couldn’t get out of bed.

And right now, even with as much hope and love that they had in their hearts, there was also a deep, overwhelming guilt.

They had spoken to him, stood  _ less than three feet away from him _ , and they hadn’t even been able to recognise their baby. They had tried to  _ interrogate _ him.

And Gabriel… 

The first thing Gabriel had done was slam his shotgun into Jesse’s head.

_ He gave his son a concussion.  _

A bitter taste filled his mouth, and his throat burned. His head spun and his limbs felt heavy.

_ What had he done? _

“Gabriel, what you did, it’s not your fault. You made the responsible choice. We didn’t know who he was then. And you barely even hurt him,” Ana was rambling, desperately trying to reassure him. “He’s fine, Gabe. I promise.”

Gabriel couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but shake and tremble and let a few tears slip down his face.

He was a monster. Only a monster would hurt their own child like that.

Someone was hugging him again, wrapping themselves around him in a protective bubble and whispering assurances. He didn’t deserve the comfort, but he was selfish, so he let himself drown in it.

“Sweetheart, it’s okay. I would have done the same. We can fix this. I promise,” Jack was whispering in his ear, using that soothing tone that always calmed Gabriel down.

“I hurt our-- our baby, Jack. I… I hurt  _ Jesse _ ,” Gabriel murmured, voice unable to hold steady.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Jack was quick to cut in, “No thinking like that, okay? Maybe it was the wrong choice. Maybe you messed up. But you can’t change that now. All you can do is try to do better. Okay?” 

Gabriel nodded, trying to slow his rapid breathing.

“Can you open your eyes for me, Honey?” Jack asked, using one hand to cup Gabriel’s face, the other still rubbing circles on his back. With some effort, Gabriel forced his eyes open, meeting Jack’s blue gaze. His husband smiled warmly, his thumb wiping away the tear tracks on Gabriel’s face. “There you go.”

“What if he hates me?” Gabriel asked, terrified to even voice the question.

Jack’s face somehow seemed to soften even more. “Then he’ll warm up to you. You’re his Papa. He’s loved you since the day we met him,” He assured Gabriel.

Gabriel smiled a little when he thought back to when he met Jesse. His baby was only a few months old when they adopted him, but from the very beginning, Jesse would light up whenever he or Jack were near him.

“Okay,” Gabriel whispered. “Okay.” He turned to Ana before he could lose his nerve. “Can we meet him?”

“Of course, Gabe. I’ll take you--”

“Commanders,” Athena said through their comms, making them jump. “I’m afraid that thirty minutes ago, there was a blackout on all servers. During that time, there was a prison break in prison wing A, cell 52.”

Everyone in the room froze, before they got to their feet and started running.

Because that was Jesse’s cell.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Sombra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we finally see Sombra! I just love McSombra so much I couldn't resist writing it into this story.

“Don’t scream.” Jesse, counter to what the mysterious voice said, began to shriek. An invisible hand clamped over his mouth before he could really make any noise. “I said, don’t scream.” He could now identify the voice, which only served to make him panic more.

“Sombra?!” Jesse asked, voice muffled by the hand.

He couldn’t see her, because she was, you know, invisible, but he could perfectly imagine her rolling her eyes. “Who else?”

“What are ya doin’ here?” Jesse hissed.

Sombra giggled, shimmering into existence in front of him, his hat and his gun in her hands. “Getting you out of this cell,  _ Vaquero _ . I thought that that would be obvious.” While she spoke, she placed his hat on his head, letting it tilt to the side.

Jesse, despite the situation, couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked. She was wearing a purple leather jacket over a simple black bodysuit. It made her look sneaky and mysterious and gorgeous. He allowed himself one moment to swoon before he collected himself. “Do you realise how dangerous this is?” He whisper-shouted. 

Sombra snorted, kneeling behind him so she could observe the cuffs locking him to the chair. “Yup,” She said, popping the ‘p’. “That’s why it’s so much fun!”

“Fun? You think breakin’ into Overwatch is  _ fun _ ?!” The cuffs unlatched from his wrists, clattering to the floor. “How’d ya do that?” 

“The cuffs are electronic. Luckily for us, I’m a bit of an expert in that,” Sombra explained. Jesse chuckled. The cuffs around his legs were quick to come off too, and he couldn’t help but marvel at Sombra’s skills.

“You’re amazin’.” He said, unable to keep the smile of his lips.

“And you’re an idiot. Raiding an Overwatch armory? What were you thinking?!”

Jesse sighed. “Can we wait until we’re both out of this place before we start arguin’?”

“Fine. But this discussion is not over,” Sombra growled. Then, after a second of hesitation, she added, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Jesse couldn’t keep the dopey grin off his face. “Careful. It almost sounds like ya care about me.”

Sombra rolled her eyes, lightly shoving him, but there was a small smile on her face. “Don’t be an idiot. I just didn’t want you giving away any of my secrets.” That only made Jesse grin more. “Stop looking at me like that. I’m still angry at you!”

Jesse decided not to push his luck. “So, ya got us a way out of here, Darlin’?”

Sombra smiled. “Of course.” She slipped his gun into his hand, to which Jesse was very thankful. He always felt safer with his gun. And Sombra was just grinning at him like it was nothing.

Before he could shower in in praise, tell her how much he appreciated her and her abilities, she turned towards the door that was locking him in the cell, tapping her fingers against her hologram keyboard a few times. The door slammed open, and Sombra glanced over her shoulder at Jesse. “Follow me,  _ Guapo _ .” And with that, they took off running down the twisting hallways.

Jesse didn’t worry about the cameras, he knew that Sombra would take care of those. However, he did worry about running into someone. It wasn’t just his future at risk anymore, it was Sombra’s, too. He couldn’t risk them getting caught.

But, as they progressed through the winding rooms, he didn’t see a single person. He was going to have to ask Sombra how she managed this when they were out of immediate danger.

His lungs started to burn, his sides started cramping, his legs started to ache, but he didn’t stop following Sombra.

“Almost there,” Sombra told him, sounding just as tired as he felt.

A few more minutes passed, before a giant set of doors came into sight. Sombra’s fingers began to tap on the purple holograms in front of her, and the doors opened right before they arrived.

Jesse took a deep breath of fresh air as he stepped outside. He wanted to slow down, fully admire the feeling of freedom, but he knew that he couldn’t. Every second they wasted was putting them further in danger. So he sucked it up and asked, “Where to next, Sugar Pie?”

“Don’t call me ‘Sugar Pie,’” Sombra said, but the hostility in her tone was fake.

“Would you prefer ‘Sweet Pea’? Or ‘Pumpkin’? Or how about ‘Honey Bun’?” 

Sombra laughed, quickly trying to disguise it as a cough. “You could always call me by my name, you know,” She said.

“No can do, Honey Bun.” Before Sombra could snap back, Jesse said, “So, are ya going to tell me where we’re goin’? Or do ya want me to guess?”

“You’ll see,” Sombra said, smirking as she began to lead him through the parking lot.

Jesse chuckled, following her until she stopped proudly in front of an elegant purple motorcycle parked near the exit. She wasted no time in straddling the seat, gesturing to the spot behind her. “Hop on.”

Jesse, who had frozen the moment he had caught sight of the motorcycle, finally spoke. “Nope. No way. Nu uh. Not doin’ it,” he said, folding his arms over his chest. “Not a chance.”

Sombra scowled. “Come on,  _ Vaquero _ , it’s just a motorcycle. It’s not going to bite.” Jesse narrowed his eyes, giving the bike another once-over.

“Do ya know how dangerous those things are? Do ya even know how to drive one?” Jesse asked, standing a good foot away from the motorcycle, eyeing it warily. 

“More dangerous than your plan to raid an Overwatch armory?” Sombra shot back, adjusting her grip on the handlebars as she glared at him. “And yes, I know how to drive it! What do you take me for?”

Jesse wanted to slam his head into a wall. There was no way he was getting on that motorcycle. 

“But if you don’t want a ride, I could always just leave you here.”

Jesse got on the motorcycle. “Fine. But if ya crash us, I’ma be pissed.”

Sombra smirked, revving the bike into gear. “Duly noted. Ready to go?”

Sighing, Jesse said, “Do I really have a choice?” Sombra laughed and shook her head, starting the motorcycle.

“Better hold on tight,  _ Guapo. _ It’s going to be a long ride.”

* * *

“I regret agreeing to this!! This was a mistake!!” Jesse called out as Sombra blatantly ignored the speed limit, weaving through cars with reckless abandon. “A mistake!” He repeated, clutching on to her a little tighter. He could feel her laugh, her body rumbling against him, but he couldn’t hear it over the wind roaring in his ears. 

“Come on, don’t tell me you’re not having even a little fun?” Sombra asked, her words barely clear enough for Jesse to make out. 

“What part of this is fun?!”

Sombra laughed again, then narrowly dodged a car. Jesse buried his face in her hair, too scared to keep watching. “ _ Ay, pobrecito _ ,” Sombra said through her giggles.

“Shut up,” Jesse mumbled. 

He yelped as they made a sharp turn. Despite his better judgment, he glanced up, seeing that they had made their way into a dark alleyway. Sombra had slowed, so the wind was no longer so loud that Jesse couldn’t hear his own thoughts. “Where are ya taking me?”

“Right now, to a hotel. I figure you need some food and a good night's sleep. Then, back to Deadlock gorge.” It was the logical plan, but Jesse couldn’t help but feel a little unsatisfied with it.

“Right. Now, don’t get me wrong, that’s a smart plan. But, uh… what do you think about me… y’know… not going back to Deadlock?” The motorcycle slammed to a halt, causing Jesse to lurch forward, just barely managing to stay on the seat. “Whoa, what was that for?”

Sombra whipped around to stare at him. “You don’t want to go back to Deadlock?” She asked, eyebrows raised and mouth slightly parted.

Jesse scratched the back of his neck, letting out a small chuckle. “Well, I was just thinkin’ that… y’know… I could get a-- get a job?”

“Get a job?” Sombra parroted. Jesse nodded, refusing to meet her eyes. “You, ‘Mr. Founder of Deadlock’, want to get a job?”

He flinched. “Is that really so bad?” 

Sombra softened slightly. “No. It’s just… unexpected. I thought you liked Deadlock?”

Sighing, Jesse shrugged. “I do. Or, I think I do. But… I don’t know… runnin’ a gang ain’t exactly what I want to spend my life doing. I thought that maybe I could get a gig somewhere near you. Construction work, maybe?”

Sombra opened and closed her mouth a few times (which Jesse may or may not have found adorable) before saying, “ _ Okay… _ is this something you want to do for the money? You know I could hook you up with millions, right? I’ve got access to the bank accounts of every rich jerk in the world.”

“No, it ain’t that. But… is it wrong for me to want a normal life? One that… one that I can spend with you?” He asked, reaching out to take her hand.

Sombra gently squeezed his hand. “It’s not wrong, Jesse. I just don’t understand where this is coming from.”

Jesse thought of Ana Amari, of her nimble hands knitting scarves for her daughter. He thought of the way she spoke to him, like he wasn’t some criminal or gangster or low-life thug. Just like he was normal.

“I’m tired of being a criminal, Sombra. I don’t want this. I  _ never _ wanted this,” Jesse said, realising in that second that it was true.

Sombra nodded slightly, her brows furrowing and lips slightly puckered, which was an expression that Jesse had begun to call her ‘thinking face’. “Okay. Just… sleep on this. Don’t make rash decisions right after getting out of prison. That’s never a good idea.”

“And if I still want this in the mornin’?”

“Then feel free to go and get a job and a house with a white picket fence.” Sombra told him, shrugging.

Jesse shifted, afraid to ask his next question. “And… will ya still… would we still be together?”

“I’m with you no matter what. It’s you and me against the world, remember?” Jesse felt his heart skip a beat at her earnest tone. Sombra brought her hand up to fidget with the enhancements on her scalp. “But… you do know that  _ I’ll _ never be normal, right?”

“Of course. I don’t want ya to change. And I know that I ain’t ever gonna be fully normal either. But… the house with the white picket fence… that sounds nice. Ya could go on missions and hack corrupt organizations and I’ll… I dunno, learn how to cook so you can always have a warm meal. And I’ll make sure that ya always take care of yourself. No more going 72 hours without sleepin’. And--”

Sombra cut him off by pressing their lips together. Jesse let out a surprised hum, before leaning into the kiss, gently cupping her face. It was a little awkward, them sitting on a motorcycle with Sombra twisted around to face him. But at the same time, Jesse loved kissing her too much to care.

They pulled apart after a few seconds, and Jesse pressed his forehead to hers. “You’re such a sap,” Sombra informed him, but he could tell she was smiling.

“Only for you, Darlin’,” Jesse said, loosely wrapping his arms around her. He opened his eyes to find a warm pink glow on her cheeks. “Are ya blushin’?” He blurted, lips parting. Jesse had never seen her  _ blush _ before.

She giggled a bit, ducking her head to hide her face. “Shut up.” As she spoke, Jesse couldn’t keep the wide grin off his face. “Stop looking at me like that!”

“Like what?”

“All… sweet and soft. Like a sap.”

Chuckling, Jesse responded, “But I am a sap.”

“I hate you,” Sombra whined, rolling her eyes and turning away from him.

“No ya don’t.”

She sighed. “Shut up or I’ll leave you here.” 

Jesse laughed again, but didn’t justify her empty threat with a response. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist once more, letting her rev the motorcycle back to life. “Are you ready to ride?” Sombra asked, and Jesse could  _ hear _ the smirk in her voice.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” He said, burying his face in her hair like he’d done before. She laughed.

The bike spurred to life, before taking off, leading them off into the unknown.

* * *

“Y’know, when ya said ya were takin’ me to a hotel, I pictured a ratty, hole-in-the-wall place’,” Jesse whispered, lips pressed into a faux smile as he tried to avoid the gaze of the hotel staff, all dressed in neat and fancy uniforms.

Sombra laughed like he said something funny, her face a copy of the same faked happiness that Jesse’s showed. Granted, her’s was much better. “Sorry to disappoint,” She murmured back through clenched teeth, giving a small wave to an employee who was giving them dirty looks.

To be fair, they didn’t exactly fit the aesthetic of the  _ five-star hotel _ , Sombra in her leather and Jesse in his grime covered, day old clothing, along with his cowboy hat. Luckily, they had had the foresight to put their guns under their clothes so they were hidden.

“Sir, Ma’am. Your room is here,” The snooty staff member said, nose still wrinkled as he looked down at the teenagers. “I trust you will not make too much of a mess?”

It was the kind of condescending tone and question that got Jesse riled up, but Sombra just smiled and said, “That you, Sir. Have a wonderful day!” Before snatching the key out of his hand and all but dragging Jesse into the room. “Bye!” She called as she slammed the door in the man’s face.

The minute they were separated, Sombra rolled her eyes. “ _ Idiotas, _ ” She hissed, glaring at the closed door.

Jesse took stock of the room. It was nicer than anything he had ever stayed in, with floral wallpaper and a small chandelier, a minibar stocked to the brim, a floor-to-ceiling window, as well as a California king sized bed against the wall.

A  _ single _ California king sized bed.

“Uh, Sombra?”

“Hmm?”

“There’s only one bed,” Jesse said, still staring. Sombra just shrugged.

“This was the only room that wasn’t booked,” She said, looking at him critically. “I didn’t think that it would be a problem.”

Jesse sighed. “I’ll take the floor,” He said, even though the prospect sounded awful. After spending a day in a cell tied to a chair (at least, he thinks it was a day. He had no way of telling time), he had been looking forward to sleeping in a real bed.

But he was a gentleman, and he cared about Sombra too much to force her to sleep on the floor.

Sombra stepped forward, observing the room, before her eyes landed on the bed. “Don’t be an idiot,  _ Vaquero. _ There’s plenty of room for both of us.”

Jesse froze, his mind screeching to a halt. “You… want to share a bed with me?”

“Does that bother you?” Sombra was clearly deflecting. “Because if you really want to, you can always sleep on the floor. Your call.”

A smile sprang to Jesse’s face. “I’ll take the bed… if you’re sure that’s okay with ya.”

Sombra sat on the bed and began kicking off her shoes. “Relax,  _ Guapo _ . I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t okay with it.” She slid under the covers, moving over to make room for him.

Jesse shucked off his boots and hat, before following Sombra into the bed. “G’night, Darlin’.”

“ _ Buenas noches, Vaquero,” _ Sombra whispered back.

And with that, they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When Jesse woke, the first thing he noticed was that he was rested, more so than he had ever been in his life.

The second thing he noticed was that he wasn’t alone. Sombra was wrapped up in his arms, sleeping peacefully with her head resting on his chest. 

Jesse almost cooed at how adorable she looked.

“Stop staring,  _ Vaquero _ . It’s creepy.” Jesse startled at her words, nearly falling off the bed with how far he jumped. Sombra hummed disapprovingly, wrapping her arms around him to keep him in place. Her eyes were still closed, but there was now a small smile playing on her lips.

“Oh, uh, I-- I didn’t realise you were awake, Darlin’,” Jesse said, cheeks turning red in embarrassment. “And I wasn’t starin’!”

Sombra laughed softly, slowly blinking her eyes open to look up at him. “You were totally staring.” His cheeks got hotter as he tried to splutter out a response. “Aww, don’t be embarrassed! I know it’s not your fault. I’m just that captivating,” She told him through a yawn.

“Ya really are,” Jesse replied, a dopey smile lighting up his face. Sombra snorted in laughter. “I mean it, Honey! You’re captivatin’ and stunnin’ and beautiful and wonderful and amazin’ and--” Jesse was cut off when Sombra slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” She told him, but her grin was wide and her violet eyes were sparkling with happiness.

Jesse tried to speak, but his words were muffled by the hand over his mouth.

“If I let you talk, will you stop being such a sap?” Jesse nodded his head. “Are you lying?” Jesse nodded his head.

“C’mon, Darlin’! Bein’ a sap is just in my nature when I’m around you!” Is what he tried to say. Sombra sighed, lifting her hand so he could repeat himself.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” She said, and Jesse knew he should probably come up with a retort, but his mind was racing so fast because  _ she called him cute, she thought he was cute! _

He wasn’t able to get over it before his stomach let out a loud gurgle, instantly killing the mood. Jesse glared down at it.

_ ‘Not cool, man!’ _ He mentally berated his stomach.

But Sombra didn’t seem bothered, just giggling before she got up and started stretching, her joints letting out little pops as she worked the sleep out of her system. “It’s time for breakfast. And I think your stomach agrees with me on that.” She gently poked his belly as she spoke.

Jesse pouted. He didn’t  _ want _ to get up and leave the comfort of being in a warm bed for the first time… ever. He would much rather stay in with Sombra and talk and laugh all day.

At the same time, he wasn’t ready to handle the embarrassment if his stomach growled again, so he sucked it up, following in Sombra’s footsteps. “So, where are we eatin’, Sweet Pea?” Sombra glared at him for the nickname, but that just caused Jesse to smile wider.

“This place has a cafeteria, so I guess we’re eating there.” Jesse groaned at the thought of facing more of the snob staff members, but he was hungry enough to let it be.

“The food had better be good,” He mumbled, right before Sombra stepped out of the room, Jesse following close behind.

* * *

The food was, in fact, good. 

Actually, ‘good’ didn’t do it justice. The food was the best thing that Jesse had ever tasted. Sure, up until now he had mostly lived on cold, stale leftovers, but the point remained.

Sombra didn’t seem to be fazed by the luxury of the breakfast, just eating it with the same practiced casualness she always exuded in public.

Jesse, on the other hand, was barely holding back his moans of ecstasy. “This is amazin’,” He lamented between bites, not even coming up for air.

Sombra smiled, taking a sip from the orange juice. “Don’t choke and die,  _ Guapo _ . That would be a pain.”

Grinning, Jesse took another huge bite of food, closing his eyes when the flavor hit his tongue. He was making a scene, people were staring, but he just couldn’t care when he was experiencing something as amazing as this.

“McCree,” Sombra began, but Jesse was quick to cut her off.

“This is so good I might actually die.”

“McCree,” She tried again.

“Seriously, this could be what kills me.”

“Jesse!” He finally looked up, noticing her urgent tone. When his eyes found her, she looked calm and collected, but he could see the slight tension on her shoulders. Something was wrong. 

Instantly, he reached for his pistol, which was hidden safely under his shirt. “What is it?”

“Keep your head down, act natural, and follow me. Don’t ask questions.”

Jesse nodded, plastering a smile onto his face as he tilted his face towards the ground, letting the brim of his hat cover his features. He stood, taking Sombra’s hand as she began to lead him away.

He wanted to ask what was happening, wanted to spring to action, but he knew better than to go against Sombra when she got like this. She always knew what she was doing, always had a plan, and those plans almost always worked.

So he followed her as she led him to their room, refusing to look up from the floor.

When the door closed behind them, Sombra dropped all pretenses, racing over to the T.V.

“Sombra, what’s happenin’?” Jesse asked, now that they were in private. “You’re kinda freakin’ me out here.”

She didn’t respond, just clicking the button to turn on the television, muttering in rapid Spanish under her breath, too fast for Jesse to make out. The T.V. sprang to life.

Jesse swore.

His face was looking back at him. It was a bad quality picture, most likely filmed on a security camera, given the angle. 

The image shrank to a corner of the screen, revealing a news anchor. “ _ Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison urge you to come forward if you have any information about the whereabouts of Jesse, _ ” She was saying, looking sombre. “ _ They have issued a statement several hours ago, which reads as follows: “This is a hopeful and scary time for us. We lost him once eleven years ago, and we’re terrified of losing him again. However, we have hope that, with your help, we can bring Jesse home safely _ .. _.” _ The anchor continued talking, but Jesse’s focus was no longer on the words.

“What the-- huh?” Jesse said, trying to piece together the information. “What does that mean?”

Sombra’s mutterings sped up as she pulled up a hologram keyboard, typing for a few seconds.

“What does that  _ mean _ ?” Jesse repeated, starting to panic. It felt like he was missing a vital piece of information, something that would tie this all together, cause it to make sence. He hated being in the dark, especially when it involved him.

He heard Sombra suck in a harsh breath. “What? What did you find? Sombra, what’s happenin’?”

She looked up at him, eyes wide and lips parted. She looked shocked, and that was something Jesse had never seen. Sombra was always so sure of herself, and seeing her like this only served to increase his hysteria.

“Jesse… oh crap…” She mumbled, eyes darting from him, to the television, to the screens projected in front of her.

Jesse, becoming tired of having no clue what was happening, began to read whatever it was that she had found. The first thing he saw was the large, bold text at the top of the screen.

**Blood test results of John Doe**

Jesse skimmed past the random medical numbers that he couldn’t make sense of, instead focusing on the bottom.

He felt his heart skip a beat.

**Results: Matched to Jesse Reyes-Morrison**

His mind was beginning to connect the dots. 

His past insistence that he was their child.

The way Ana Amari spoke to him once she found out about his name, asking questions just a tad bit too personal. Like she was looking for specific information.

The way Reyes and Morrison said they had lost him eleven years ago, right around the time that Jesse was dropped off at the orphanage.

Jesse’s head began to hurt as he tried to make sense of it all. “Sombra, please tell me what’s happening,” He begged, although he already knew deep down.

“Jesse…”

“C’mon, Darlin’, don’t leave me hangin’. Ya gotta talk to me.”

“Jesse, this is huge. I mean, this is… oh crap, we’re in so much trouble…” Sombra was saying, fingers tapping away as the holograms in front of her scrolled through files that Jesse couldn’t make out.

“Sombra! Talk to me! Please!”

At his desperate tone, Sombra looked away from her screens, meeting his eyes. “I don’t… Jesse, you’re…”

“Tell me honestly. Am I their kid?”

Sombra didn’t respond verbally, just shakily nodded her head.

Jesse sat on the floor, legs trembling too much to hold his weight. “You’re sure?” He asked.

“There’s blood tests, Jesse. And paperwork and evidence… It’s true.”

Despite the absurdity of the whole situation, Jesse found himself calming down now that he knew what was happening. “What, uh, what do we do now?” He stammered.

Sombra shook her head, hair flying around her. “I don’t… I don’t know! This is bad, this is so,  _ so _ bad,” She mumbled, her fingers finally stopping their typing. Jesse looked at the screens, finding a picture of a baby wrapped in a blanket, eyes open as they curiously looked up at the camera.

“That’s me?” He couldn’t help but ask. He had never had any baby pictures. Seeing himself when he was so young was… surreal, for some reason.

“Yeah. That’s you.” A small smile returned to Sombra’s face. “You had such cute, chubby cheeks,” She remarked, causing Jesse’s face to heat up.

In the next instance, though, the slight calm that she had evaporated, and she was back to the urgent tapping and panicked muttering.

Jesse took a deep breath. He stood, slowly approaching Sombra as she frantically worked away. “Hey, now, why don’t we go and put those screens away, huh?” 

“I can’t! This is bad, Jesse! Your face is on the news all over the world!” Her voice was high pitched, her entire body trembling. If the situation were different, Jesse would have found himself flattered that she cared so much about him.

“I know, I know. It’s bad. But you have to calm down, okay? Darlin’, we’ll figure this out, but only if ya relax a bit.” She wasn’t listening to him, still just as freaked out. “Baby, Honey, Sugar Pie,” He said, hoping to get some response to the cheesy pet names, “I need ya to slow down, okay? Just focus on me for a sec, just look at me.” He gently cupped her face, tilting it towards him.

Her eyes were so wide and scared, and it broke Jesse’s heart to see her in so much fear.

At least her fingers had stopped typing. Jesse counted that as a win. “That’s it, Sweetheart. Are ya payin’ attention?”

Sombra nodded, letting herself take a deep breath. Jesse smiled. “There ya go. Now I know this ain’t ideal, but panicking ain’t gonna help us. Why don’t we take a breather, yeah? Calm down a bit.”

Once again, she nodded, eyes fluttering closed as her breathing began to even out. Jesse brought their foreheads together. “Can I kiss ya?” He asked, not wanting to freak her out more.

Sombra responded by grabbing his shirt and tugging him down until their lips met. Jesse’s lips were chapped and rough, but he kissed her softly.

When they pulled apart, Sombra was almost smiling. He brushed some hair behind her ear, watching as the rest of her anxiety seemed to melt away for now. “Attagirl,” he hummed, grinning.

“I’m sorry. I should be the one comforting you,” Sombra began, but Jesse was quick to stop that line of thought.

“Hey, don’t’cha ever apologize for feelin’ things. You have every right to have emotions,” He assured her.

Sombra opened her eyes to stare at him in something like awe. “Jesse McCree, you’re amazing,” She whispered.

“I know. I’m a blessing to the world.”

That startled a laugh out of her.

They both giggled together until their playfulness subsided, leaving them with a daunting reality.

“So, we should probably talk about this,” Sombra said, pulling away from him slightly before sitting on the bed. “About what we should do next.”

Jesse nodded, the smile falling off his face. “Okay,” He agreed.

They sat in silence for a few more seconds, neither of them sure what they should say. 

Jesse knew what he wanted. He wanted to go back, to see if they were telling the truth. To maybe have a family. But he wasn’t sure how Sombra would feel about that.

He didn’t have the chance to tell her that, though, because she could read him better than anyone. “You want to go back to them.” Her tone was neutral, so Jesse couldn’t tell what she was feeling.

“I mean… yeah. They’re my family,” He admitted, fiddling with his fingers.

Sombra sighed. “Okay… Okay...” Jesse knew that tone. That was her, ‘I’m planning something big and possibly dangerous’ tone. And sure enough, a second later, she grinned. “I have a plan.”


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel lost him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is mostly angst, but there's some fluff at the end, because i'm physically incapable of writing anything without fluff.

He had been right there. He had been right in front of them.

And yet, somehow, they had lost him again.

Gabriel couldn’t breathe as he stared at the empty interrogation room, trying to calm himself.

But how could he possibly be calm? How could he possibly be calm when the world seemed to think that this was a game? Dangle Jesse in front of him, close enough to touch, and then snatch him away again.

At some point, Jack had sunk to the floor and curled up in a ball. Gabriel wanted to comfort him, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t do anything but stare at the room, and feel, more than anything, numb.

Maybe he was in shock. Maybe none of this had registered in his mind yet. Maybe he was just so used to this feeling that he no longer noticed it.

Ana had left them some minutes ago, making phone calls and searching through whatever security footage they could find in hopes of getting Jesse back. Of bringing him home safely.

“Do you think Deadlock broke him out?” Jack asked, speaking for the first time since they had found their son to be gone. His voice was on the verge of being crazed.

Gabriel didn’t respond.

“If they did… if they broke him out, we could find them. This-- This could be a lead. We might have another chance to make this right!” Jack was panting as she spoke, panicked and hopeful at the same time.

Gabriel didn’t respond.

“Should we ask Ana if she thinks that’s what happened?”

Gabriel didn’t respond.

“Maybe if we start looking now, we can still get him!”

Gabriel didn’t respond.

“Sweetheart, please say something,” Jacked begged, voice now laced with concern.

Gabriel moved his gaze away from the empty chair, focusing on his husband. Jack was still curled up on the floor, but his head was peeking out so he could see Gabriel.

“What is there to say?” Gabriel rasped. “We lost Jesse.  _ Again _ . We stared right at him and didn’t even recognise him.”

“Don’t talk like that! Maybe… Maybe we still have time! He only left a couple of minutes ago, he couldn’t have gone far!” Jack begged, his entire body shaking and eyes glistening with tears.

“Does it matter if we find him? He’ll hate us. What are we going to do, kidnap him and play at being a happy family?” Gabriel asked, his numbness sliding away to let anger take its place. Jack flinched back at the harsh words, eyes shining with hurt. Gabriel yearned to apologise, to take his husband into his arms and make this right, but he was far too angry to do anything of the sort.

He didn’t know who he was angry at. Himself and Jack, for not noticing that their son was right in front of them? Ana, for waiting so long to tell them? Deadlock, for what they did to his son? Whoever broke Jesse out for taking away his chance to see his baby? The world, for dealing him a crappy hand?

All of the above, most likely.

“Maybe he won’t hate us. Maybe he’ll understand,” Jack said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

Gabriel scoffed. “He wouldn’t have run if he didn’t hate us.”

“He didn’t know! He didn’t know he was our family! That might change things!”

Gabriel didn’t respond.

* * *

It had been hours now. The sky was dark, and Gabriel was lying in his bed, unmoving.

They hadn’t found Jesse.

Jack was who-knows-where, probably helping Ana with the search. Probably doing everything he could to find him.

Gabriel hadn’t left his room for a very long time.

Every time he thought about getting up, a deep ache settled in his bones. He was too tired to do this. Too tired to have hope, only for it to slip away.

He couldn’t do that again.

He couldn’t survive that again.

So he lied down, letting his mind go blank. Let himself drift off, not to sleep, but to a part of his mind where things were quiet. Where he didn’t have to face the truth.

The truth that, once again, he had failed at being a Papa. He had failed his son.

Jack knocked on the door a few times, begging Gabriel to let him in. 

He wanted to let his husband in, wanted the comfort and kind words that Jack would provide, but he couldn’t. Wouldn’t.

So Jack left food outside the door, telling Gabriel that whenever he was ready, Jack would be there for him.

Gabriel didn’t respond.

* * *

The door to his room opened just as the sun was beginning to seep through his window. “Gabriel,” Ana said. “You need to eat. Especially with your enhanced metabolism” Groaning, Gabriel turned away from her voice, curling into a ball. She didn’t move, standing there with four slices of toast stacked on a plate. “Starving yourself isn’t going to help anyone.”

Gabriel said nothing, not feeling strong enough to speak.

“I’m not leaving until you eat,” Ana told him. He felt the bed dip, and peeked up from his arms to see how she was sitting next to him.

She looked… exhausted. Her hair was unbrushed, there were dark circles under her eyes, and she hadn’t changed since the day before. There was a look of worry on her face as she stared at him. “Come on, Gabe. Just eat the toast.”

Reluctantly, Gabriel grabbed a single piece of toast, taking a bite. It was dry and slightly burnt. He swallowed, feeling the bread scrape his throat.

As soon as it was down, his stomach growled unhappily, and the hunger he had been avoiding began to rear its head. He took another bite.

Ana gave him a small smile, but there were several layers of sadness behind it.

Once he had finished eating, she got up to leave. Gabriel grabbed her wrist before she could go. “I can’t… I can’t lose him again, Ana. I won’t survive it,” He told her, his voice a deep rasp.

Her brows furrowed, and she kneeled next to the bed so she could look him in his eyes. “I’m doing everything in my power to make sure he comes back, safe and sound,” She assured him, taking one of his hands in her own.

In a way, Gabriel was glad she didn’t give him false assurances and empty promises. This way, he could at least believe her.

Ana gently pressed a kiss to his cheek, before standing and walking out of the room. The door slammed shut behind her, leaving Gabriel alone once more.

Alone in his room, wallowing in bed, all while his son was out there, most likely in danger. He had to get up, had to start helping with the search. Even though the thought of standing, of facing the world made him sick.

Gabriel let himself have one more minute, one more minute of pain and self-pity and depression, before he sat up.

He was going to help Ana look for his son.

* * *

“I think we should go to the press,” Ana said, scouring through their systems, still trying to find the source of the breach that had let Jesse escape.

“And tell them what?” Jack asked, not even glancing up from the little amount of security footage they had left. “That Jesse’s a gang member?” He asked, scrunching up his face at the reminder that their little boy was involved with gangs.

Gabriel himself was searching into the leads they had on Deadlock, trying to see if it was possible for them to have broken Jesse out.

“I was thinking we could tell them the truth. That he’s your son.” Both Jack and Gabriel looked up at that, trading uneasy looks. “I realise it’s not ideal--” Gabriel scoffed at that, but Ana continued like nothing had happened. “--but this isn’t a situation where we’ll have a perfect solution.”

Jack made a thoughtful noise. Gabriel gaped. “You can’t actually be considering this?”

“Do you have a better idea?” Ana asked.

And that was the thing. He didn’t. He’d been working on this case for hours now, and he still had no idea where Jesse was. Whoever broke him out was good enough to get past their abundance of military grade firewalls and turn off not just the cameras, but the entire system. Everything that happened in that half hour was a complete mystery. It was infuriating. 

“We decided to keep him away from the press for a reason. The more people that know about Jesse, the more likely it is that they’ll harass him,” Gabriel argued.

“What would you prefer we do? We have no leads, no clues, nothing,” Ana argued right back.

Jack, ever the mediator, swooped in right as Gabriel was about to snap at her. “You both have valid points,” He said.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. Ana huffed.

“But… Gabriel, at least hear her out. Let her talk before shooting the idea down,” Jack said, turning to face Gabriel. And, really, it was unfair how Gabriel could never say no to those baby-blue eyes.

“Fine,” He growled, slouching down in his chair in a petty show of annoyance. Neither Jack nor Ana seemed to notice. That, or they just didn’t care. “Go on.”

Ana smiled, pleased. “Jesse was, or is, a part of Deadlock. If we don’t go public with this information, he might stick with them. And we can’t protect him if he does. The only way to protect him is if we know where he is. The best way to do that is to go public,” She reasoned.

Gabriel had to admit, her argument had a few good points. Still… “What happens when the public figures out that he’s a member of Deadlock?”

“The only people who would know he was running with gangs is Deadlock themselves, and they won’t try to tell people. Besides, if they do, it’s our word against theirs.”

That left one lingering doubt. The doubt that terrified Gabriel to no ends. “And what if Jesse doesn’t want to come back?” He asked in little more than a whisper.

Ana sighed. “Then… then we respect his choice. We give him protection, but otherwise leave him alone.”

Gabriel felt sick at the very real possibility that Jesse would hate them, that Jesse wouldn’t want anything to do with them.

But even that was better than Jesse being in danger.

Going public seemed to be the only way they were going to be able to help him.

“Okay,” Gabriel conceded. He glanced over at Jack to make sure he was okay with it. His husband took his hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s put up a statement.”

* * *

Ana was the one who wrote and published the statement under their name. Jack and Gabriel were too busy curled up in their room, clinging to each other for comfort. Some old sit-com was playing on the T.V., but neither of them were focused on it, instead choosing to whisper sweet words and give each other soft kisses.

“It will be okay,” Jack mumbled through little, chaste pecks to Gabriel’s lips. “No matter what, we’ll be okay.” His kisses trailed down to Gabriel’s cheek and jaw as he spoke.

Gabriel hummed his affirmation, leaning further into his husband. “I know, Boy Scout.”

Jack pulled away just enough for Gabriel to see him roll his eyes. “You know I was never in Boy Scouts, right?” He asked, trying, and failing, to hide the small smile stretched across his features.

“Shut up, Boy Scout,” Gabriel replied, rolling them over so he was lying on top of Jack.

Jack’s low chuckle rumbled through his chest. Gabriel smiled. He would never get tired of hearing that laugh.

Before they could go on with their banter, the door to their room banged open. Instantly, they were on their feet, ready for an attack.

Instead, they found Ana Amari, a wide grin etched into her face. “We found him.”


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse comes home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, folks! Hope you enjoy the finale!

“Just trust me on this,  _ Vaquero _ , it’s going to be fine,” Sombra assured him as Jesse fiddled with his hat. Not his regular cowboy hat, no, but rather a baseball cap that Sombra had assured him would work for a disguise.

_ “Your cowboy hat would just draw attention,  _ Vaquero.  _ But nobody pays attention to the black baseball caps,” _ She had told him.

“I really don’t think a hat is going to keep me from being recognised. In case you haven’t noticed, my face is plastered on every holovid in the world,” Jesse said, glancing over at the electronics store next to them, where every screen seemed to have his picture. He looked away, continuing to walk down the sidewalk as casually as he could. He wasn’t able to stop himself from tugging at the black t-shirt Sombra had gotten him from the thrift store a couple blocks away from the hotel.

Sombra was walking beside him, wearing a matching hat, and a backpack strung around her shoulders; filled with their guns, snacks, and Jesse’s actual hat. She was wearing dark colors, mostly gray. The drab colors and hats seemed to be working, because no one on the street gave them a second glance.

After half-an-hour of walking, just as Jesse’s legs were beginning to ache, they arrived at Overwatch headquarters.

The building was practically a skyscraper, reaching up so high that Jesse had to tilt his head to see the top. Almost the entire thing was made of windows, and the glass was shimmering as the afternoon sun hit it at just the right angle. It was… beautiful. “Wow,” He could help whispering, almost in awe.

Sombra rolled her eyes. “It’s not  _ that _ impressive,” She mumbled, but Jesse knew she was lying. 

It was amazing.

Partly because his parents were inside.

Speaking of… “So, what’s our plan here?” Jesse asked, tearing his eyes away from the gaudy building to look at his girlfriend. In response, Sombra slipped… something into his hand. It looked like a small three-point star, with a purple glow coming out the center. “What’s this?”

“That,  _ Vaquero, _ is a translocator. Once you’ve gotten inside the building, get in an elevator with no one around and throw it on the ground.”

Although Jesse did not understand what a translocator was, or how it was going to help, he didn’t question it. “And how am I goin’ to get in?” He asked instead, looking at the abundance of security guards posted by the entrance.

Sombra smirked. “Leave that to me. Once the guards are distracted, slip in as quietly as you can.”

Jesse hesitated. “What, exactly, are ya gonna do?” He asked, not wanting her to put herself in danger just so he could find his parents.

“Don’t worry, nothing serious. Just setting off a minor alarm that requires their attention,” She told him.

Jesse nodded, satisfied. That didn’t seem too dangerous. “How long is that gonna take?” He asked, almost bouncing on his feet with nervous energy.

Sombra laughed. “A couple of minutes, at most. I’ll see you inside, Jesse,” She said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Don’t ya worry yourself, Darlin’. I can take care of myself.” Sombra looked at him doubtfully. “ _ I can! _ ” Jesse insisted.

“If you say so,” Sombra responded, giggling a bit. “Remember, wait until the guards are gone, and then--”

“Sneak in. Yeah, I got it. Now go! Do your whole… Hackergirl thing.”

She rolled her eyes, but began to walk away from the crowded street and into a darker ally, presumably to be able to pull up her holograms without anyone watching her.

It took no more than a minute before the guards walked away. Jesse grinned, still being impressed by Sombra’s skill even after years of knowing her.

“Here goes nothin’,” He whispered to himself, before stepping foot inside the building.

The inside of the building was just as impressive as the outside, full of people in prim suits and fancy check-in desks and actual chandeliers. He felt painfully out of place, but no one seemed to notice him. They were all too busy on their phones or with their paperwork.

Jesse only allowed himself a second more to gawk at his surroundings before remembering the plan. Get to an empty elevator. Throw the translocator thing on the ground. 

Keeping his head tilted down, he followed Sombra’s instructions. As soon as he had put the translocator down, there was a flurry of pixels, surprising Jesse enough to cause him to jump back. 

A second later, Sombra was in front of him. “What the--?” Jesse asked, squinting as he took in her form. “How did ya do that?”

Sombra chuckled, looking smug. “It’s a translocator. It changes my location.”

“How?” Jesse asked, not understanding anything that just happened.

“Do you really want me to explain the advanced computer science and biology you would need to know to understand how this works?”

“I… guess not,” Jesse mumbled, already getting a headache.

Sombra smirked, satisfied with that. She turned to the elevator buttons, pressing the one labeled ‘20’. There was a beep, and then they were going up.

The higher they went, the more Jesse’s heart started to pound. What was he thinking? Breaking into Overwatch, putting him and Sombra in danger, and for what? A chance to play family with a bunch of strangers?

As if she could sense how panicked Jesse was becoming, Sombra slipped her hand in his. “Relax,  _ Guapo _ . Everything is going to be fine. And if it’s not, just say the word and I’ll get you out,” She assured him.

“I know. I’m just… nervous.”

Sombra squeezed his hand. “I know. And that’s okay. Just don’t freak out on me.” The floor counter reached 19. Sombra disappeared, but Jesse could still feel her hand in his. “I should be invisible for this part. But I’m right here.”

Jesse nodded, forcing his body to relax. The floor counter reached 20 and the doors opened.

“This is the top floor, where all the higher-ups live. Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes are in room 10,” Sombra whispered.

“Room ten. Got it,” Jesse said, hesitating for only a second before taking a deep breath and walking down the halls. He glanced at every door along the way, reading the plaques next to them. There were some names that he recognised, some names he didn’t know, but only one caused him to stop.

**Ana Amari**

**Second in Command**

Jesse stared at the words. 

“What are you doing?” Sombra asked.

“I know her,” He murmured, stepping closer to the door.

Sombra paused, trying to figure out what he meant. “From your childhood?” She asked.

“No. She, uh, she talked to me. When I was a prisoner here. She was… nice. Kept me company. I think she’s the one who figured out who I was,” Jesse said. “I--”

He was cut off by the door opening. He yelped, surprised.

Ana stopped in her tracks when she saw him, mouth parting slightly. They stood like that for at least five seconds.

“Hi,” Jesse finally said, his voice going up several octaves as he spoke.

“Hi,” Ana parroted, giving him a once over.

They once again lapsed into silence.

Suddenly, Ana seemed to startle. Her mouth closed and her posture straightened. “You should come in,” She said, gesturing to her room.

Jesse nodded, stepping into the room. He hoped Sombra was following close behind.

The ‘room’ seemed more like a house, with several doors and hallways leading to places Jesse couldn’t see. He was in what looked like a living room. It was simple, mostly just a couch and a T.V., along with some artwork on the walls. The art looked like it was made by children, most likely Ana Amari’s daughter. Fareeha, if Jesse remembered correctly.

“Please, have a seat,” Ana invited, waving at the couch. “I’ll put a pot of tea on the stove.” She walked over to the small kitchen on the far side of the room and began to move things around.

“Thank you, Ma’am,” Jesse said, stiffly. He awkwardly sat on the couch, feeling horribly out of place.

Ana turned back to look at him. “Just Ana is fine,” She said, smiling slightly. Jesse returned the smile, trying to relax. She wasn’t going to hurt him.

He felt Sombra place a hand on his shoulder, and the fact that she was still there even though he couldn’t see her helped him relax. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Jesse picking at his clothes. “I, uh… I saw the news,” He finally said, cringing at the stutter in his voice.

Ana froze for half a second, before continuing her work. “I assumed as much.”

“Is it… true?” Jesse asked, despite the fact that he already knew the answer. He just needed to hear it again, needed to make sure it wasn’t some elaborate ruse.

“We wouldn’t lie about something like this,” She assured him, tilting her head towards him so he could see her encouraging smile. 

Jesse’s cheeks flushed. “Sorry for doubtin’. It’s just… a lot to take in, y’know?

“Of course. I can’t even imagine what this must be like for you.” The kettle began to whistle, and Ana poured the water into two blue mugs. “What kind of tea do you want?” She asked, before listing off so many flavours that Jesse’s head began to hurt.

“I’m good with anythin’,” Jesse said. He didn’t tell her that he’d never had tea, or that he didn’t even know what half the flavours were. Chamomile? Oolong? Chai? Were those even words?

Ana considered for a moment, before grabbing a tea bag from the box labeled ‘Peppermint’. Jesse relaxed, glad that he at least knew the flavour he would be getting.

The steaming mug was set in front of him, along with a small container of sugar cubes. Jesse watched Ana sit across from him, placing three of the cubes in her tea. He copied her.

“I have ice cubes if it’s too hot,” She said, gesturing to the freezer behind her.

Jesse took a cautious sip, the hot liquid tasting surprisingly good. “It tastes nice,” He said.

Ana smiled, pleased at the compliment. “I’m glad,” She replied. 

A couple of minutes passes with them sipping their tea, Jesse refusing to meet her eyes. “I’m guessing you have questions,” Ana finally said once she was finished with her tea.

Jesse nodded. “A few, yeah.”

“Well, ask away,” She offered.

For a few seconds, Jesse didn’t say anything, unsure where to start. “I just… want to know what happened. All of it.”

“Very well. I suppose it started about fourteen years ago when Overwatch visited an orphanage. I’ll be honest, it was mostly a publicity stunt. We read books to some kids, let the cameras see us do it, tried to get people to trust us. And then Gabe and Jack found you…” Jesse listened closely, not wanting to miss a detail. 

She went on to explain how Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison were enamored with him. How they adopted him three days later. How they kept him away from the media to give him a chance at a normal life.

How they were a happy family for a few years. How everything fell apart when he was taken from his daycare. How Overwatch had never stopped looking for him, despite the fact that he was declared dead.

How Ana had figured out that he was Jesse Reyes-Morrison, not Jesse McCree. How they had done everything they could think of to make sure it was true. How they lost him again.

And how he was finally,  _ finally _ home.

By the end, Ana’s eyes were slightly shining with tears. She wiped them with her sleeve with a wet chuckle. “Sorry. It’s just… we all missed you so much, and now you’re back. It’s surreal. Amazing, but surreal.” Jesse nodded, feeling that himself.

Once Ana had composed herself, she gave him another smile. “Do you… want to meet your parents?”

All the air in Jesse’s lungs left as he felt his heart skip a beat. “Yeah… I mean, if they’re not too busy to see me.”

“Jesse, they would drop anything to see you again. You’re their first priority. I promise you that they’ll see you,” Ana assured him. “I’ll go get them right now. Are you okay staying here?” Jesse nodded, watching as she left the room, the door closing softly behind her.

He waited a few moments to make sure she was gone before calling out, “Sombra? Are ya still here?”

“Of course. Do you need me to get you out?” Sombra asked, shimmering into existence in front of him.

“No. I’m just nervous.”

Sombra gently cupped his face in her hands, pressing a small kiss to his lips. “You heard what Amari said, right? They’re going to love you. And if they don’t, I’ll beat them up.” Jesse couldn’t help but chuckle at the visual of Sombra fighting off Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison. “You’re not doubting my skills, are you?”

“I have no doubt that ya would tear them to shreds. But let’s hold off on that, yeah?”

Huffing, Sombra grumbled, “Fine. But the offer still stands. Say the word, and I’ll take them down.” Jesse grinned at her.

Rapid footsteps started to approach the door, so sombra winked at Jesse before going invisible again. A second later, the door opened, revealing Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes.

They froze in their tracks when they caught sight of Jesse, who awkwardly waved. “Hi,” He mumbled, feeling a blush spread through his cheeks. These were his  _ parents _ . After all this time, he was finally meeting his  _ family. _ And all he could think to say was ‘hi’?

“Hi,” Jack Morrison breathed, his mouth parted. He licked his lips, giving Jesse a once-over. Jesse tried not to flinch at the attention. “You’re… I can’t believe we actually found you,” He said, tears shining in his bright blue eyes.

Jesse chuckled nervously, picking at the hem of his shirt. To his horror, his own eyes began to become watery. He looked at the floor to try and hide the tears. “I can’t believe I found you, either,” He admitted, sniffling.

Gabriel Reyes, his father, his  _ papa _ , kneeled down in front of him. He reached out a hand, as if he was going to touch Jesse, but froze halfway through the motion. Their eyes met, and Jesse felt a jolt as he stared at the intensity in the deep brown color.

There was such raw emotion, such vulnerability in his papa’s expression. 

His papa.

A single tear rolled down Jesse’s cheek. Before he could really comprehend what he was doing, he had launched himself into his papa’s chest. 

“Oh,  _ Mijo _ ,” Gabriel cooed, wrapping his warm arms around his son and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “It’s okay, Jesse. We’ve got you now. We’re not losing you again,” He assured him. Another pair of arms wrapped around him, and Jesse looked up to see that Jack, his  _ dad,  _ had joined the hug.

And, wrapped up in the arms of his parents, Jesse finally felt like he was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might continue this but idk.... tell me if you want more!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Leave a comment or kudos if you liked!


End file.
